Tolentreasures

  I know, I know. Every year I try to stash bust and vow not to buy anymore fabric, yarn or wood.   And every year, it is broke before the end of January.   This is the year. I have to. My sewing room is being moved to a smaller room. Therefore, I must reuse, reduce, condense, eliminate!   So, yarn projects are being finished, the stash of t-shirts cut up, and all that fabric...   String quilts.   Even the fabric to piece them together and back them is going to wait until I use up and organize all the scraps.   And there are lots!  Over the past week, a huge garbage bag of junk has left the sewing room. That's progress, right?

When I started this blog, it was mostly to keep track of craft things, you know, a place to put my pictures of things that I painted, knitted, crafted, etc.   Just for me to keep track of everything.  Little my little, it almost became a diary of our lives.   There are times that I think that I should just keep everything to myself and then there are those times that life just bursts through and some of it is too funny to not share.   I appreciate all of you that follow along, comment and encourage my ramblings.  That being said, as I reflected back on the past year, reading through old posts and remembering.   It was a rough start to last year.   My mother in law was so ill through the holidays and I don't even think we totally grasped how fast she was failing and how soon we would lose her.   While we all knew without a doubt that she was present with her Lord and Saviour, selfishly we mourned our own l...

  I think that this post was started several weeks ago. The holidays sort of whizzed by! Wish I could figure a way to stop that process!   Rushing around that morning, I lost my balance in the bathroom and grabbed for the counter and wrapped my hand around the hot curling iron. The morning was totally going away, I was running late, burnt hand, and I am sure about 10 other little mishaps as I dashed out the door to pick up Kendall and get Gracelyn on the bus.   Honestly, I have not been late once yet this year.   This day, I was pushing it.   This is what greeted me about three miles out the road and I had to pull off to take the picture.   Pulling off was key here considering how the morning was going, I was not about to try to take a picture while driving, (Not that I have EVER done that before...) At any rate, as rough as the morning was, this made things so much better.   ...

The first four have been done for several years. About three or so anyway.   The last three? I seriously procrastinated. However, barring any unforeseen and totally unexpected news in the coming few months, these should hold me for next year also.                 Whew!    Just a few (well actually 8) more projects and it can be Christmas!    I have got to start earlier next year! 

There are decorations in my house at Christmas (and year round) that the decorator police (otherwise known as my children) will never fight over when I am gone!   Here are just a few. The Angel Tree, finally finished after 15 or so years. JWS mounted it on a base and I glued the candle cups on it this morning. What is left? Finding candles to fit those cups! The Fiber Optic Village I was over it a year or so after I bought it. JWS found it in the attic and wanted it out "for the kids" I think he might be included in those "kids". The Carnival Set. This was found abandoned. We have it on loan this year.  The Village Well, truthfully someone might want it... This Santa I am pretty sure no one wants him. Or this scary one either. And of course, last but certainly not least... The Annual Complaints About The Nativity Wreath are about to begin.   Just remember folks, if a...

And it was only a little list. Thank goodness! I thought I would take these two along. JoAnn's Michael's They would love it. And love it they did!   Giggles and Laughs and Fun!   We walked up and down every aisle in each store and marveled at everything.   We brought home a lot of stuff that was not on the list. We did not bring home a lot of stuff that was on the list.   And these two. Gracelyn on the right is ethereal. Glitter, Unicorns, Pink and Purple. High pitched voice, and giggles. Kendall on the left is literal and matter of fact. Bright colors, Skulls, Neon Greens and Pinks Throaty voice and deeper laughs. And everything they saw, they showed one another by announcing their whole names.   Gracelyn Kay Kirkpatrick come here and see this! Kendall Jae Moore, hurry over here and look at this!   I just listened and forgot the list . 

When you arrive in Haiti, your senses are assaulted. All of them, but perhaps none more than your sight. Sensory overload does not begin to describe your eyes trying to take in everything you see. While you are thinking, 'I want to remember that' Twenty-six more memorable sights pass through your field of vision and your mind can't process what you see fast enough and your sense of everything else pales. The sounds and the smells and the feel all become secondary to the sight.   So many of you were so generous in your donations to the trip. I will try to show you where your donations were used.   The initial draw for me to the trip was to teach the students at the orphanage calligraphy and sign painting skills. Part of the donations went to buying supplies.   These are skills that the students can use to supplement their education and hopefully their income. Several of them astounded me with ...